Bowdoin College has been educating leaders for America and the world since the dawn of the American republic. Founded in 1794, Bowdoin is a highly selective college of approximately 1,730 students of distinction from across America and around the world.

Northward: Peary’s 1908-09 Expedition

Very disagreeable

11-08-1908 – Night

Donald B. MacMillan

Ellesmere Island, CAN

Awoke to find it very dark, sky overcast and looking very much like snow. A large circle around the moon last night. Wee-shark-obsee and Koolah-tingah left during the night for Roosevelt. We start out at 10’ o’clock following the trail by light-up lantern. The ice foot seems to be overflowed in many places. Covered with a thin layer of snow, it does not reveal its character until we are into it, our snow shoes covered with slush, and sledges stuck fast. It has been a very disagreeable afternoon, a cold wind and driving snow in our faces for miles. Time and time again we wandered from the trail partly owing to the fact that it was badly drifted and partly because of the strong wind nearly extinguishing the lantern.
Egingwah, probably one of the most expert in trail finding, was obliged to take the lantern and go on ahead, I taking his team. As the dogs sighted the Porter Bay cache they made a rush through the driving snow, one team taking me off my feet. I fell back on the traces with snow shoes up in air, grabbed the prongs of the sledge to prevent myself from going under water and rode in in grand style with dogs a yelping and driver yelling “arre-tik”. “Hudson” caught his foot in tidal crack, so was obliged to slip off his harness and leave him behind. Looking back through the snow I could see him limping painfully along doing his best to keep up us in sight.
Thought that I had probably seen the last of him but in about an hour I felt a nose in my hand and there he was on three legs. In two days he was all right again and harnessed in to his team.